The University of Iowa displays English sounds by their phonetic symbol. Click on the symbol to hear how it sounds, see a native American English speaker pronounce the “letter” sound, see a graphic of how it’s made in the mouth or go to the description icon to read how to say the sound!

This document is an excellent reference source for learning how to connect thoughts, subjects and statements together in speaking and in writing. It offers a list, which can then be used with an English language learner’s dictionary to find out how to use them correctly!

Hurray! For those of you who struggle with making sense of English when it’s spoken too quickly, this video series offers suggestions that should help you! The reason it’s so difficult for non-native English speakers to follow conversations and speech when it isn’t slowed down so you can hear every word clearly is precisely that: The words AREN’T said in the way you learned them! They are shortened and sometimes not said at all in order to “bunch” phrases together so that they can be said in roughly the same amount of time. For example, English speakers say these two sentences in the same amount of time:
1) “The boyrodehis bike.” (Spoken like: *”Th’BOY//RODE//’is’BIKE.”)
2) “The little boy always rode his bike.” (Spoken like: *”Th’ldl’BOY//aweys’RODE’//is’BIKE.”)*Not using phonetic symbols. The // represents a syllable in English. The capitalized words should be stressed and the ‘ shows where are joined together and read as one word instead of two or three.

Hopefully,the description above explains why it is difficult to follow spoken English when it is spoken quickly. The video series will offer you strategies to making sense of such speech!

The following FREE on-line courses are offered at the times listed below. To take and other free classes, please go to ShareAmerica’s Advance Your Career page or click on the Source link below. The ShareAmerica site also offers many other lessons for all English language learners.

English for Business and EntrepreneurshipNovember 2016
This MOOC is designed for entrepreneurs who want to work in the international arena. Learn the English you need to write business plans, conduct market research, and communicate with partners and customers around the world.

English for JournalismFebruary 2017
Are you an aspiring journalist who wants to inform a global public of important issues and events? Build the language skills needed for reading, drafting, editing and proofreading in English.

English for Career DevelopmentNovember 2016 and April 2017
If you’re ready to launch an international career, this MOOC is for you. Master the English skills needed for resumé writing, networking and interviewing while learning about the job-application process in the U.S.

More courses coming in 2017:

English for Media LiteracyApril and October 2017
Do you ever think about the role the media play and how they influence public opinion? Hone English skills tied to reading and evaluating sources of information, such as social media, blogs and newspapers.

English for STEM FieldsJune and October 2017
Interested in studying science, technology, engineering or math (STEM)? Open doors to educational opportunities by learning English used in STEM-related fields.